Shoe box having shoe withdrawing means



Oct. 7, 1958 w. P. AULL SHOE BOX HAVING SHOE WITHDRAWING MEANS FiledApril 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1.. 5 m Y THTN MP n E 0 v T m T, M Y BOct. 7, 1958 w. P. AULL H SHOE BOX HAVING SHOE WITHDRAWING MEANS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 6, 1956 United States Patent i SHOE BOXHAVING SHOE WITHDRAWING MEANS Watson P. Aull, St. Louis, Mo.

Application April 6, 1956, Serial No. 576,599

7 Claims. (Cl. 206-7) This invention relates to improvements in boxeshaving article withdrawing means. In particular, it relates to a boxwhich may be used for withdrawing shoes for use or display purposes,although the use of the box is not limited to shoes.

In the shoe box of this invention, there has been provided a means forstoring shoes with means for opening the front flap of the box, and byso doing, withdrawing one or more pairs of shoes partially forobservation or for entire removal and use. This is of great advantage inthat there is no need to take the box down from the shelf and open thelid as is the usual case. Through this invention, a box may be kept upona shelf and stocked upon other boxes, and all that need be done forwithdrawal or display is to merely open the front flap. The salesman ina store and the prospective customer can then view the shoes which arepartially withdrawn from the box and are fully visible. Also the shoemay then be removed from the box for closer inspection and handlingwithout moving the box itself.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a box havingmeans for partially withdrawing an article from the interior of the boxby an opening of a hinged front flap.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a box having ahinged front flap and, associated therewith, means in the interior ofthe box for withdrawing an article therefrom in a vertical plane.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a box for thestorage of shoes and the like, having a hinged front flap together witha shoe withdrawing means which is adapted to fit or catch underneath theshoe between the heel and the sole and which is pivoted when the frontflap is opened to withdraw the shoes.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a box for thestorage of shoes and the like having a hinged front flap and withdrawingmeans attached to the hinged flap which pivots when the flap is openedand which per-- mits the proper spacing of the shoe within the box andcauses the shoe to pivot upwardly within the box and withdraw outwardlytherefrom.

Still another object of this invention is to provide boxes of the typedescribed which can be easily and simply constructed from paper' boardblanks using a minimum of material and which are rugged and serviceableand easily operable. In most cases the withdrawing means will be madefrom the usually unused part of the rectangular blank lying at sideedges of the front flap.

Further objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art and will further appear in the detailed description whichfollows.

In the drawings, there is portrayed a preferred embodiment of thisinvention which is for the purpose of example only. It is to beunderstood that these drawings are for the purpose of illustrating theinvention only, and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

2,855,096 Patented Oct. 7, 1958 "ice Figure 1 is a plan view of a shoebox blank provided with shoe withdrawing means;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the box in a partially assembled stage;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the assembled shoe box;

Figure 4 is a view in front elevation of the shoe box;

Figure 5 is a view in rear elevation of the shoe box;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the shoe box with the front flap in theopen position;

Figure 7 is a View in section taken on the line 7--7 showing theinterior of the shoe box and shoe separating means;

Figure 8 is a view in section taken on the line 88 of Figure 3 showingthe interior of the shoe box and the structure of the shoe withdrawingmeans;

Figure 9 is a view in section taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 6 furtherportraying the interior of the shoe box and the article withdrawingmeans;

Figure 10 is a view in longitudinal section through the middle of theshoe box showing the positioning of a shoe in dotted lines;

Figure 11 is a view in section taken on the line 11-11 of Figure 10showing the structure of the interior of the box and the articlewithdrawing means;

Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 11 but showing the front flappartially open and an intermediate stage of withdrawal of the shoe;

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figures 11 and 12, but showing the finalstage of the shoe withdrawal and the front flap fully opened; and

Figure 14 is a view in section taken on the line 1414 of Figure 13showing the structure of the shoe withdrawing means.

The blank for the shoe box is generally indicated at 30 in Figure 1.This blank comprises four major panels which for the purpose ofidentification are called left side panel 31, bottom panel 32, rightside panel 33 and top panel 34. These panels are connected together byfold lines and, in addition, left side panel 31 is provided with afastening stitch flap 35.

The back end fastening structure of the blank includes a leftside endtab 41 provided with a tuck and shoe spacing 'tab 42. The bottom panel32 is provided with an end flap 43 having a recess 44 for receiving thetuck tab. The right side panel 33 similarly to the left side panel, isprovided with an end flap 45 and a tuck and shoe spacing tab 46'. Thetop panel 34 has an end flap 47 and a recess 48 for receiving thespacing tabs in a similar manner to the bottom panel.

The front portion of the top panel 34 is provided with an inwardly cutrecess 51 and a protruding spacing tab 52 which permits a partialraising of shoes outside the top of the box as they are withdrawn by thewithdrawing means as will later appear. The tab 52 provides for spacingof the shoes in the withdrawing operation.

The shoe withdrawing structure comprises various panels and tabs whichare attached to the bottom panel 32. Thus, a front flap 55 is connectedto the bottom panel 32 by fold line. A finger tab for opening the frontpanel is provided at 56 and is cut out from a tuck flap 57 connected tothe front flap 55 by a fold line.

At the left side of the front flap 55, as shown in Figure 1, a shoewithdrawing member 60 is shown, which is connected to the front flap 55by a supporting wing panel 61. The panel 61 extends along the entireside of the front flap to give strength and rigidity to the withdrawingstructure. The withdrawing member 60 is provided with a locking and shoespacing tab 62. Similarly, at the right side of the front flap 55,another shoe withdrawing member 63 is shown which is connected to thefront flap by a supporting wing panel 64. Also, a locking and shoespacing tab 65 is provided upon the member 63.

In order to fasten the withdrawing members 60 and 63 together and holdthem in position when the box is assembled, a fastening structureincluding an underlying and supporting shoe withdrawing member 66 isprovided. This underlying member is connected to the withdrawing member63 by a spacing panel 67. Depending from the underlying withdrawingmember 66 are two bracing legs 68 and 69. These legs define an internalrecess or opening 70 which is adapted to receive the shoe heels, as willfurther appear. Folding tabs 72 and 73 are connected to the legs 68 and69 respectively, to provide rigidity and further support for thewithdrawing structure and to prevent side to side sway.

In assembling the blank 30, the bottom panel is maintained in flatposition while the left side panel 31 and the right side panel 33 areboth bent upwardly with the connecting tab 35 then being bent inwardlyto overlie the bottom panel. Subsequently, the top panel 34 is then bentover as shown in Figure 2 to overlie the bottom panel and is connectedto the connecting tab 35' by the staples 8t) and 81, although otherconventional connecting means such as glue, tape, etc. may be employed.It is to be understood that the method of assembling may vary somewhatin the sequence of operations but one manner of assembly will be for thepurpose of illustra- T1011.

Next, as shown in Figure 2, to close the back end of the box, thespacing tabs 42 and 46 are bent inwardly toward one another and when theend panels 43 and 47 are folded to close the box, the spacing tabs 42and 46 are tucked into the recesses 44 and 48. This final assembledposition of the end portion of the box is best shown in Figures 3, and7.

In assembling the shoe withdrawing structure, the underlying withdrawingmember 66, shown in Figure 1, is first bent to overlie the member 63.Next, the legs 63 and 69 are bent so as to stand up vertically and thesupporting tabs 72 and 73 are bent to the front to lie in a planeparallel with the side walls. After this has been accomplished, thepartially assembled withdrawing structure is folded to overlie thebottom flap 55, as shown in Figure 2. When this has been done, thesupporting flap 72 will lie flush against the supporting panel 64. inthe next stage, the withdrawing member 62 and its supporting panel 61are bent upwardly and vertically with respect to the front flap 55 andthen the supporting member 62 is bent still further at right angles soas to lie in the same plane as the bottom and top panels. It is theninserted in between the underlying member 66 with the lock tab 62 beingpositioned underneath the lock tab 65 and through an opening in thespacing panel 67 in locking position. This finally assembled position isshown in Figure 6. The box may then be closed in conventional fashion byclosing the front flap and inserting the tuck flap 57 underneath the toppanel 34, as shown Use The shoe box with the article Withdrawing meansof this invention is best shown in use in Figures 1-4. By referring toFigure 13, showing for the purpose of example, a ladys shoe in dottedlines, the shoe is inserted into the box with the toe resting upon thebottom and the arch overlying the withdrawing means. In this position,the shoe generally indicated at 12% has the heel 121 bearing against thewithdrawing members 6'1 63 and 66 with the arch 122 of the shoeoverlying the same.

To place the shoe in the box and close it, the front flap is raisedupwardly to the position shown in Figure 12 which slides the toe 123 ofthe shoe forwardly through the pushing action of the withdrawing means.On the inside surface of the bottom, the open space 51 at the top paneland the spacing tab 52, provides for the raising of the shoe so that nocontact with the top of the box is attained if a fairly high shoe tallerthan that shown in Figure 12 is employed.

In the final stage, the box is closed by closing the front flap as shownin Figure 10, and in the continuing pivoting action the members 60, 63and 66 of the withdrawing meanspush against the arch of the shoe andcause it to be propelled toward the rear of the box. The spacing tabs 42and 46 between the shoes inserted in the box provide for proper spacing,as do also the spacing tabs 65 and 62.

The withdrawal of the shoe is accomplished in a direct reverse order ofthe steps above-described. Thus, the withdrawing tab 56 of the frontpanel is merely grasped and the front panel is then drawn downwardly asshown in Figures 12 and 13. This causes the shoes to be dragged out ofthe box by the contact of the withdrawing members against the heel 121.In this manner, the shoes may be very simply and easily withdrawn forremoval and the box need not be moved in any manner other than to openand close the front panel.

Although the box of Figures 1l4 have been particularly described withrespect to womens shoes, it should be understood that it may also beused for mens shoes, by merely changing the dimensions of the shoewithdrawing means and shortening them to a lesser height than that shownin Figure 10. Also, other articles may be employed where pivotalwithdrawing action is desired through the use of the withdrawing meansfastened to the hinged front panel. Still further, as another example inwhich this invention may be changed without departing from the teachingthereof, the legs 68 and 69 defining the opening 70, may be changed toprovide a continuous flat base. This opening 70 is of advantage wherelong spiked heels used in ladies shoes are employed, since it allows thearch to rest upon the withdrawing members. However, this opening may bedispensed with for other uses.

Various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiments of thisinvention as described above, as will be apparent to those skilled inthe art. Such changes and modifications will be within the scope of theinvention and will be further apparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe box having two sides, a top and bottom, an end and a frontflap hinged to the bottom, said box being adapted to receive a pair ofshoes therein supported by the bottom of the box, and shoe withdrawingmeans operable upon a pair of shoes when placed within the box extendingfrom the front flap into the box, said withdrawing means forming withthe front flap a rigid member spaced from the front flap and beingsupported at the lower side edges of said flap, said member fitting inthe arch of each shoe between the heel and the sole, said member beingenclosed within the box when the front flap is closed, and said memberbeing rotated outside the box when the front flap is opened.

2. A shoe box having two sides, a top and bottom, an end and a frontflap hinged to the bottom, said box being adapted to receive a pair ofshoes therein supported by the bottom of the box, and shoe withdrawingmeans operable upon a pair of shoes when placed within the box extendingfhom the front flap into the box,

said withdrawing means forming with the front flap a rigid member spacedfrom the front flap and being supported at the lower side edges of saidfiap, said member fitting in the arch of each shoe between the heel andthe sole, said member being enclosed within the box when the front flapis closed, and said member being rotated outside the box when the frontflap is opened and means for separating the shoes within the box.

3. A shoe box having two sides, a top and bottom, an end and a frontflap hinged to the bottom, said box being adapted to receive a pair ofshoes therein largely supported by the bottom of the box, and shoewithdrawing means operable upon a pair of shoes when placed within thebox extending from the front flap into the box, said withdrawing meansforming with the front flap a rigid member spaced from the front flapand being supported at the lower side edges of said flap, said memberfitting in the arch of each shoe between the heel and the sole, saidmember being enclosed within the box when the front flap is closed, andsaid member being rotated outside the box when the front flap is opened,and means at the top of the box for the passage of shoes therethrough asthey are raised by rotating action of the withdrawing means upon theopening and closing of the front flap, said means comprising a recessedwall portion at the front of the top.

4. A shoe box having two sides, a top and bottom, an end and a frontflap hinged to the bottom, said box being adapted to receive a pair ofshoes therein supported by the bottom of the box, and shoe withdrawingmeans operable upon a pair of shoes when placed within the box extendingfrom the front flap into the box, said withdrawing means forming withthe front flap a rigid member spaced from the front flap and beingsupported at the lower side edges of said flap, said member fitting inthe arch of each shoe between the heel and the sole, said member beingenclosed Within the box when the front flap is closed, and said memberbeing rotated outside the box when the front fiap is opened and meansfor maintaining the separation of the shoes as they are moved inwardlyand outwardly of the box by the opening and closing of the front flap.

5. A shoe box having two sides, a top and bottom, an end and a frontflap hinged to the bottom, said box being adapted to receive a pair ofshoes therein supported by the bottom of the box, and shoe withdrawingmeans operable upon a pair of shoes when placed within the box extendingfrom the front flap into the box, said withdrawing means forming withthe front flap a rigid member spaced from the front flap and beingsupported at the lower side edges of said flap, said member fitting inthe arch of each shoe between the heel and the sole, said member beingenclosed within the box when the front flap is closed, and said memberbeing rotated outside the box when the front flap is opened, said meansbeing comprised of separate support panels connected to opposite sidesedges of the front flap and extending away therefrom, and saidwithdrawing member including elements connected to each of the supportpanels and cooperating with one another to form the withdrawing means,the withdrawing member being adapted to fit in the arch of each shoebetween the heel and the sole, said withdrawing member being enclosedwithin the box when the front flap is closed, and being rotated outsidethe box when the front flap is opened.

6. A shoe box having two sides, a top and bottom, an end and a frontflap hinged to the bottom, said box being adapted to receive a pair ofshoes therein supported by the bottom of the box, and shoe withdrawingmeans operable upon a pair of shoes when placed within the 6 boxextending from the front flap into the box, said withdrawing meansforming with the front flap a rigid member spaced from the front flapand being supported at the lower side edges of said flap, said memberfitting in the arch of each shoe between the heel and the sole, saidmember being enclosed within the box when the front flap is closed, andsaid member being rotated outside the box when the front flap is opened,said means being comprised of separate support panels connected toopposite side edges of the front flap and extending away therefrom, andsaid withdrawing member including elements connected to each of thesupport panels and cooperating with one another to form the withdrawingmeans, the withdrawing member being adapted to fit in the arch of eachshoe between the heel and the sole, said member being enclosed withinthe box when the front flap is closed, and being rotated outside the boxwhen the front flap is opened and means for locking the withdrawingelements together to form a structure rigid with the front flap.

7. A shoe box having two sides, a top and bottom, an end and a frontflap hinged to the bottom, said box being adapted to receive a pair ofshoes therein supported by the bottom of the box, and shoe withdrawingmeans operable upon a pair of shoes when placed within the box extendingfrom the front flap into the box, said withdrawing means forming withthe front flap a rigid member spaced from the front flap and beingsupported at the lower side edges of said flap, said member fitting inthe arch of each shoe between the heel and the sole, said member beingenclosed within the box when the front flap is closed, and said memberbeing rotated outside the box when the front flap is opened, said meansbeing comprised of separate support panels connected to opposite sideedges of the front flap and extending away therefrom, and saidwithdrawing member comprising elements connected to each of the supportpanels and cooperating with one another to form the withdrawing means,the withdrawing member being adapted to fit in the arch of each shoebetween the heel and the sole, said member being enclosed within the boxwhen the front flap is closed, and being rotated outside the box whenthe front flap is opened and means for locking the withdrawing elementstogether to form a structure rigid with the front flap, said last namedmeans including shoe separation means.

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